Death Toll Reaches 42 in Northern Israel Blaze

“We can’t say that the fire is under control,” Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen told reporters on Friday evening as the largest wildfire in Israeli history continued to burn in the Carmel hills south of Haifa.

Cohen added that despite the assistance received and the cooperation amongst various organizations, the fire is continuing to spread in several locations.

“The event has not yet ended and even now there are some locations where the fire has not been taken care of,” Cohen said. “Perhaps we will be able to say [that the fire is under control] by tomorrow afternoon. The strategic plan of the police is still to save lives and to bring the event to an end as quickly as possible.”